Copper Thieves
In the last few years, metal prices have increased dramatically. So as a result, anything left in plain sight made out of copper is at risk of being pilfered by people looking to generate a quick buck through dishonest means. Ask any electrician or plumber, they’ll have a story to tell you about how they’ve been ripped off.
This affects everyone, and trickles back to Joe Average-American through higher priced goods and insurance rates.
I don’t get amped up about celebrate tragedy, but a connoisseur of irony can find justice in stories like this one in Ohio (link), where a daring copper thief gets electrocuted (this one’s from Monday).
ST. CLAIR TWP. — A 22-year-old Hamilton man died early Monday after being electrocuted by power lines while attempting to steal copper, according to the Butler County Sheriff’s Office.
Brandon Reed of Westridge Drive was killed about 2:50 a.m. while climbing a utility pole on U.S. 127 at the bridge just north of the city limits, according to Lt. Marian Olivas of the sheriff’s office.
It should come as no shock This is not an isolated incident, either! Apparently the thieves’ professional journal has not responded to this occupational hazard yet, and the sight of as much copper as a high-tension line holds is too much to resistance for some. A google-news search yields quite a few, here are just a few:
- Livermore, CA 7.5.07, (link).
- Glen Burnie, MD 7.1.07, (link).
- Six people in Southeast Michigan in the last year (link).
- Two men severely burned but not killed in South Carolina in June (link).
- Another two men severely burned, Radford VA (link).
- South Carolina electrocution, 7.5.07 (link)
- Keokuk, Iowa, 6-14-07 (link)
Ohm, Watt else can I say? Who says we don’t have stiff severe punishment for thieves?
Updated: Michelle Malkin (link) has the “stupid lawsuit of the day” on a kid who climbed a high voltage tower on a dare and his mother is now suing because the lines weren’t insulated? If the copper thieves’ families sue I’ll let you know.
Old Scrapper responded on 18 Jul 2007 at 8:25 pm #
I used to be a scrapper and remember these “gypsy” scrappers who would roll into the scrap yard with 4000 lbs of shiny braided copper wire. They would leave with 4-5000 dollars cash in their hands. Now I know were they got the stuff.